each day toward the fiscal cliff is also another day closer to the country maxing out on its borrowing limits. president obama called it a dangerous lesson when he talked to business leaders today. >> the only thing that debt ceiling is good for as a weapon is to destroy your credit rating. >> reporter: he's worried republicans may refuse to raise the debt ceiling and risk defaulting on the country's loan. >> that is a bad strategy for america. it's a bad strategy for your businesses. and it is not a game that i will play. >> reporter: republicans are pushing back. >> he's the president, not the emperor. he does not have the power. >> reporter: fiscal cliff negotiations have been at a standstill since monday. not by raising rates on the rich as the president had insisted. >> we're not insisting on rates just out of spite, but rather because we need to raise a certain amount of revenue. >> we can't just keep borrowing money, raising taxes and expecting the problem to go away. >> reporter: house members headed home for a long weekend with democrats so far unsuccessful in their efforts to